The
Eddie and The Cruisers
of Comedy

In "Eddie and The Cruisers," a film about a fictitious east coast rock band that had a strong cult following back in the early 1960's, the group breaks up following the apparent suicide of the band's charismatic lead singer Eddie Wilson, who reportedly drove his car off a bridge. His body was never found.  Twenty years later, TV reporter Maggie Foley decides to do an investigative story on the band. At the same time, she searches for the missing tapes of the group's last recording, which could provide clues to Eddie's disappearance. The more Maggie researches her story, however, the more she suspects that Eddie Wilson may still be alive.

About the time that "Eddie and The Cruisers" found a permanent home on the shelves of Blockbuster Video, another semi-fictitious stage act, the comedy troupe SCHIZ! (as in skits) began a short-lived reign as the most politically incorrect comedy act in the southeastern United States.  Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the diverse seven-member troupe evolved from a small time act that performed occasionally at family gatherings in troupe founder Tyler Blankenship's barn into a multi-media touring company that sold out a string of venues and developed its own cult following among the region's heavy drinkers.

Among SCHIZ's most popular live sketches were The Underbites, a dysfunctional family of Leno-jawed goof balls whose every attempt at performing routine activities of every-day living are impeded by their dental issues; Fratman, a trilogy of skits featuring Bruce Wayne's nephew, Ken, who along with Dick Grayson's illegitimate son Biff help save many a sorority girl from the dubious intentions of the notorious Alpha Ganga Banga fraternity; and The Canker Bank, a full-service financial institution that prides itself not only on responsive customer service but also on the cold sores its employees proudly sport on their lips.

What immediately set SCHIZ! apart from other improv and sketch troupes of that era were the short 8mm films they produced and presented between the live sketches -- a la Mr. Bill of early Saturday Night Live fame.  The film shorts included: The Doublemint Twins, a spoof of the old TV commercial, featuring a caucasian male (Blankenship) and an African-American male (Tony Nicks) who wear matching tennis outfits and parade around Atlanta's Piedmont Park while munching on delicious sticks of Doublemint gum; 1-800-CAT-YELL, a poignant TV public service announcement aimed to benefit felines who are emotionally abused by their owners; and 976-IMIX, a loopy parody of a late-night TV commercial for an inter-racial dating service.

However, like Eddie and The Cruisers, SCHIZ! left perhaps its biggest impression with its music, particularly its musical parodies of such then-hits as Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire (She Didn't Fart, You Liar); Tracy Chapman's Fast Car (Here In A Snack Bar); and The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever (Sally Fields Forever).  In addition to the song parodies, SCHIZ! also composed and performed several original musical numbers, including The Goofy White Guy Blues and The West Virginia Coal Miners' Choir, a bluegrass ditty about the health perils of working in the coal mines.

Tragically, just as SCHIZ! began to establish a devoted fan base, founder Blankenship drunkenly drove his car under a bridge and was reportedly attacked by a killer troll.  Blankenship's body was never found, but his tennis shoes were.  In any event, ten years after the troupe disbanded, a local Atlanta reporter, Anita Hook, decided to do her own investigative story on the troupe. As part of her research, she has listened to bootleg tapes of the troupe's performances, which she hopes will provide clues to Blankenship's disappearance. The more she researches her story, however, the more she suspects that Tyler Blankenship may still be alive -- and may possibly even be doing dinner theater somewhere.

The comedy troupe SCHIZ!, in an undated photo around 1990, sometime on May 25th late in the afternoon, probably between 4:15 and 4:17 pm EST.  Pictured from Left to Right:  Izekial Maytag, Vicki Long, Tyler Blankenship (with machete), Pepper Ridge, Florence Candle, Rea Phoenix, Marilyn Glockenspeil, and Tony Nicks.

A promotional poster for Eddie 
and the Cruisers, created 
sometime in 1983 prior to the 
movie's release.

A recent photo of Ed McMahon.
 

"Take A Walk On The Ironside" Don't Miss This Wacky and Rare SCHIZ! "Music Video" (1.0 mb)

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DEAD or LIVE ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?

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To Order "SCHIZ!: Dead or Live" on CD, Send $9.95 (check or money order) to:

Cabbagetown Productions
P.O. Box 349
College Park, MD  20741